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Buccaneers vs. Lions: 6 players to keep an eye on

By Brian DeFeo

TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 10: Tight end O.J. Howard of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is hit by linebacker Kasim Edebali #96 of the Detroit Lions as he hauls in a 2-yard pass by quarterback Jameis Winston for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game on December 10, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 10: Tight end O.J. Howard of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is hit by linebacker Kasim Edebali #96 of the Detroit Lions as he hauls in a 2-yard pass by quarterback Jameis Winston for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game on December 10, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 10: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fends off outside linebacker Tahir Whitehead #59 of the Detroit Lions as he looks for a receiver during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions on December 10, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 10: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fends off outside linebacker Tahir Whitehead #59 of the Detroit Lions as he looks for a receiver during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions on December 10, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play in their first home preseason game after two road victories. Week 3 will be the best chance to see the starting units, so let’s look at who to watch against the Detroit Lions.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a much more successful preseason this year than they did last year.

In 2017, the Bucs offense in the preseason was anemic scoring only 43 points. This year they have put up 56 in just two contests. While these games don’t mean anything, the offense has shown excellent signs early on.

While the defense hasn’t blown anybody away, it’s held teams in check but has been prone to penalties and mental mistakes. This week they are taking on the Detroit Lions. The Lions are currently 0-2, but quarterback Matthew Stafford only has five pass attempts. This week, Stafford is likely to play at least one quarter against the Bucs first team defense.

The Buccaneers offense is likely to see a good chunk of Ryan Fitzpatrick, but they also may want to see Jameis Winston get some first-team reps.

Dirk Koetter will need to be cautious because the team has lost two starters in practice this week and it’s not worth losing anymore.

While it would be nice to see the starters out there and play pseudo-regular season football, I want the best players to remain as healthy as possible. This team is looking for success with the starters and more experience for the young depth, and game three is the best game to see a little bit of both.

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